Red Frog Events is not your typical event production company. They are a pioneer of the experiential entertainment industry. Named by Forbes as one of the "Most Promising Companies in America," Red Frog has developed world- class events such as the Warrior Dash obstacle race series, Firefly Music Festival, and Chicago Beer Classic. The company also provides event services ranging from food and beverage and talent booking to its ticketing platform, EventSprout.

EventSprout is a flexible, online ticketing and registration tool that is used by Red Frog and third-party organizers across the US to manage their events. The easy-to-use platform enables event organizers to pre-sell tickets and merchandise, capture customer demographics, track sales, and more. While powerful, the tool was missing a key component; the opportunity to capture ticket sales on-site.

IT Overview

Tom Kita, Lead Software Engineer at Red Frog Events.

Red Frog determined a mobile point of sale app would streamline the ticket selling process and bring even more value to EventSprout users. The company also hoped to double their ROI through more sales of the platform.

Red Frog required that the app be native iOS and seamlessly integrate with their EventSprout infrastructure and database.

The app had to be simple enough for any event volunteer of any age to use on an iPhone or iPad, and provide end-to-end sales and marketing data. And because many Red Frog and third-party events are held in remote locations without internet reach, it was critical the app capture offline sales and sync up to EventSprout when connectivity became available.

Lastly, Red Frog required the app to support Stripe, and integrate with the payment provider using a third-party card reader.

"Our deadline for development was tight, and we didn't have the IT skills available in-house to build the comprehensive native mobile app. As a result, we began vetting technology partners to help us," said Kita.

LANSA's history of success, numerous customer references and case studies, coupled with knowledge of mobile app development and best practices won Red Frog's business.

"I loved the experience of working with LANSA. They came into our office to discuss the app's specs and walked through every single scenario you could possibly think of. They challenged our thoughts and we challenged theirs. This was definitely my favorite part of the project," said Kita.

Our deadline for development was tight, and we didn't have the IT skills available in-house to build the comprehensive native mobile app. As a result, we began vetting technology partners to help us.

The Benefits

With LANSA, the app was delivered just in time for Red Frog's peak event season and on budget.

"Because we executed the project with LANSA, and spent some up-front, quality time with their experts, we avoided many of the problems that commonly occur during application development and deployment. So, the app's rollout into production was seamless," said Kita.

Not only did Red Frog beat their rapid ROI goal, but estimates the app has been used at 50 events and by over a half a million users! One of the largest events the app made its appearance is at a major state fair where over the course of 10 days more than 200,000 attendees passed through half a dozen gates. Volunteers armed with 45 iPads efficiently processed admissions.

Red Frog's ongoing efforts to maintain the mobile app have found ease and flexibility to be the key to future success. Kita says that one of the neat things about the app is its ability to evolve alongside their EventSprout offering. Any new capabilities added to the platform will be integrated into the app.

"We have a few new features planned for this mobile app that will open new markets for Red Frog, including the ability to print tickets on-site for specialized and assigned seating events," said Kita.

"We're really happy with the app's performance and our relationship with LANSA. I don't believe many companies are willing to spend the amount of time with their customers as LANSA has with us," said Kita

Company and System Information

Red Frog Events began in 2007 when founder Joe Reynolds was inspired by the show “The Amazing Race” and decided to create unique, fun events that everyone could enjoy. Since then, Red Frog has launched numerous brands and added many members to our Red Frog Family.